Anaconda
by CherryxDarling
Summary: Betty Quinlan is like a shark. Ruthless, blood-seeking, and terrifying. Cindy Vortex, however, is like a snake. Cruel, aggressive, and cold. Jimmy is just caught in between. BettyJimmy, CindyJimmy. Rated for language.
1. Jaws of the Beast

Betty Quinlan was like a shark. A ruthless, blood-seeking, terrifying, and completely fascinating shark. Some people would say that she just never took no for an answer, but I say that she never asked in the first place - she just sunk her teeth right in without even the common courtesy of saying hello.

I was sitting in English class on a Thursday when Betty sat next to me and smiled, her teeth showing brilliantly. Betty was sitting next to me; this was good and bad at the same time. Good because it's _Betty Quinlan_ and _Betty Quinlan_ usually doesn't pay attention to me unless she wants to cheat off of me (which - this is probably one of those times), and bad because that was Cindy Vortex's seat.

If Betty Quinlan is a shark, Cindy Vortex is like a venomous snake. Cruel, aggressive, and cold. Cindy doesn't hate me as much as she used to, but that isn't saying a lot, because she must have hated every fiber of my being because she _still_ treats me like crap. I try to stay out of her way. Nobody likes to mess with Cindy, but nobody usually messes with Betty either.

Sometimes it's like Betty is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and I know that doesn't make sense because I like to refer to her as a shark, but she's good at disguising herself. To teachers and parents alike, she is sweet and kind and generous. To her enemies, she's evil and merciless. To the people in-between, you don't exist.

People oftentimes seek Betty's approval because she's on top of the pyramid. If you're her friend, you get treated like royalty by association. I suppose I can understand why people always try to be her friend, no matter what. It must feel good to be treated so nice by Betty Quinlan. I wouldn't really know.

In other words, I believe that sharks are more popular than snakes.

Cindy has one real friend, and that's Libby. Cindy is smart and cunning and witty, but she's not very popular among her peers. She's feared, and people don't dare get in her way or treat her bad, but it's a long shot from being adored by our classmates. I bet if Cindy acted sweet and nice, she would receive two reactions: one, people would be freak the fuck out because it would be so weird, and two, people would actually start to like her.

Betty wins people over by her charming smiles and posse of mindless fans. She's still smiling at me when Cindy strolls in one minute before the bell rings, like always, and I can tell she's in a bad mood because of her eyes - her expression is one of indifference, but her eyes speak of another story. She's pissed off and she hasn't even seen Betty yet.

I smiled back at Betty but warily scoot away, hoping that Betty didn't think I was scooting away because I didn't want to sit by her. I was scooting away because Cindy was a snake with a grudge and that was a deadly combination. I didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.

Though I must admit - I was curious as to why Betty was sitting next to me.

Sheen, who was on my other side, nudged my arm. "What's up with Queen Bee sitting next to you?" He stage-whispered, and I glanced at Betty to see if she heard. It's known that she doesn't like being called "Queen Bee" and Betty already hated Sheen enough. But it seemed that Betty was occupied enough; Cindy was standing next to her desk, hands on hips and eyes blazing, her features set in a scowl.

Sheen quickly forgot about the question he just asked and his eyes lit up with excitement, "Oh man I hope we get to see a cat fight. I haven't seen one of those since…well, I've never seen a real catfight before. I guess today would be a good day to start -" I punched him in the ribs and he quickly stopped his rant and started in on a new one, saying something about how I should be more careful because _you wouldn't like it when the Sheenster gets angry_ or whatever, but at about this time, I was focusing more on the two girls beside me.

"A seat is just a seat, Cindy, no need to get in a fit over it." Betty shrugged, smile and hair in place. She was the epitome of primness with her legs tucked under her seat and her skirt smoothed over her legs. There were no wrinkles in her clothes, and that had to be a miracle in itself. My mom always ironed my clothes but they were wrinkly by second period. I told her every day that she was wasting her time.

Cindy's scowl had disappeared, and now she seemed slightly amused, with one eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips. "Fine. You can have it." She glanced at me for a second, and then walked down the row and sat down in a different seat.

I was shocked, of course. I've never known Cindy to give up an argument in her entire life. I looked at Betty, who was sitting in her seat, looking like the cat who just ate the canary. Or perhaps the shark who just ate a human diver.

Beside me, I heard Sheen sigh. "Well. That was the most disappointing catfight I've seen in my entire life."

* * *

-

I can never tell if it's going to be a good day until Cindy walks in the door for our first class. It's ridiculous that the outcome of my daily life depends on one person, but if you knew Cindy, you would knew what I was talking about. One insulting sentence from Cindy could ruin your entire day. And on many occasions, she had ruined mine. I'd like to think that I didn't have a low self-esteem, but Cindy usually didn't stop insulting after just one sentence. Sometimes sentences turned into long rants; rants that told me that I was an idiot and completely infuriating and somehow every experiment that I conduct goes wrong.

And not _every_ experiment goes wrong. Only some of them. But Cindy didn't care for such details.

I don't know why Cindy is always so insulting, but I am not the only one she insults. She just happens to give me some sort of sick special treatment.

So, no matter if the day is beautiful and I woke for school on time and I am having a great morning so far, my day doesn't truly start until I see what kind of mood Cindy is in. Some days, she'll walk in without saying a word, and I don't hear from her all day. I don't know what this means. Other days, she'll walk in and yell at me 40 times in one hour. And on those occasional rare, wonderful days, she will actually smile and make normal conversation.

At first I thought it was a girl thing, because all girls are kind of mysterious when it comes to their behavior; but then I realized the truth: it's not a girl thing, it's a Cindy thing.

I'm at my locker after English ends when Betty saunters up to me. "Hey," she says to me, smiling softly.

I take a few moments to how the hell I ended up in this position. Is this doomsday? Has God smiled upon me? Is this a cruel trick? I glance around, but there are no cameras, no laughing people, no television crew.

"Uh, hey," I reply. "What's up?"

Betty just smiles again, as if she knew exactly what I would say and when I would say it. That's a little disconcerting, I must say.

"Listen - I was wondering…there is a party going on at my place on Saturday and I wanted to know if you wanted to go. As my date."

Did people really need _dates_ to go to parties? Especially if that party was your own? I wanted to ask these questions out loud, but I didn't think that would go over too well.

So, I said what any other hormonal teenage boy would say.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

-

At lunch, Sheen, Carl, and I are in the middle of eating and talking when Cindy plops down with her tray right across from me, smack dab in the middle of Sheen and Carl.

Sheen scoots out of the way and guards his food with his arm protectively. "Woah, Blondezilla, what do you think you're doing interrupting in our manly talk?"

Carl rubs his ribs cautiously. He says nothing.

Cindy rolls her eyes. "Don't call me Blondezilla. And don't give me that crap about _manly talk_ - what kind of manly things would you three ever talk about? Playing with those stupid dolls you like and watching re-runs of American Idol? Isn't that what you guys do anyways besides go on those -"

I cut her off mid-rant. "Okay, Cindy, what do you want?"

She just shrugs and pokes at her meatloaf. "Libby is gone today."

I don't say anything. Libby has orthodontist appointments every once in awhile, so she'll usually miss lunch on those days. I know that Cindy doesn't have anyone else to sit with who she can tolerate besides us (and she barely tolerates us) and I know I could make fun of her for it, but I don't. And oddly enough, Sheen and Carl never do either. It's pretty weird because Sheen doesn't have that little thing in his brain that says _that's an inappropriate thing to say. _He'll say anything.

I'm about to make some sort of casual conversation, but then Betty walks by, with a few freshman following behind her. She slows down as she walks by our table and smiles at me. I smile in return.

I look back to Sheen, Carl, and Cindy. Sheen is waggling his eyebrows suggestively and Cindy is glaring. Carl looks confused.

"Is there something going on with you two?" He asks.

I shrug. "No, not really. She asked me…to go to her party on Saturday." I didn't exactly want to reveal that I would be her date. I didn't know how they would react just yet.

Sheen gasped. "What? Little Jimmy is going to a high school party?"

Cindy put a hand to her heart and mocked Sheen by gasping dramatically and fluttering eyes. "You mean Little Jimmy has a date to his first real high school party?"

I glare at her. Sheen doesn't seem to notice that she's making fun of him but Carl seems to know, and he rolls his eyes.

"It's not my first party," I grumble.

"So it's really a date then?" Cindy asks, one eyebrow raised. She looks amused again.

I stay silent and she laughs, a loud, belly one. "Oh, Little Jimmy," she pokes my cheek. I grab her finger and I swear, I meant to push it away, but somehow, I just end up sort of holding her hand in mine, and then she's not smiling anymore. She's just staring, and so am I.

I quickly let go and sit back a little. I decide I'm just not hungry anymore and get up, leaving Cindy sitting with Carl and Sheen.

* * *

**I'm so sorry. I haven't updated in forever, but I guess you can say that I've taken a small break from fanfiction. This story will be done in about 3 or 4 parts, maybe less. I'm going to write the whole thing and just update it in about a weeks' time. I hope all of you are doing well and you guys are having a good summer! Please review! (: **


	2. Once Upon a Party

The next day, it's raining and I sleep in too late. I already have a feeling that Cindy will be in a bad mood. Don't ask how I know; I just do. Maybe it's because the weather is so shitty on a Friday and it puts everyone in a bad mood. Maybe it's because Betty has, once again, stolen Cindy's seat.

I guess it's not really stealing, because the seats aren't assigned, but when Cindy makes a claim on something, it's _hers_. Once, Sheen, Carl, and I went to get ice cream and Cindy and Libby just _happened_ to be there too (because Cindy totally didn't see us leaving and decided to follow and torture us because she was evil) so we sat with them in one big booth. I had ordered butter pecan, like I always do, and Cindy had ordered a caramel sundae, like she always does. I had wondered what caramel and butter pecan would taste like together, and I voiced my opinion, and Cindy just shrugged. So I had taken the initiative, and taken my spoon and ate some of her ice cream. The glare (and the rant that came afterwards) was one that got us kicked out of the ice cream shop.

For a whole month. (Sam had said that we were "disturbing the peace." I like to argue and say that _Cindy_ was the one doing that.)

But when Cindy walks into English, and the door slides shut with a bang, I know something is deathly wrong. Everyone else in the room notices it, too, and soon the whole room hushes down to a whisper and a deafening silence follows immediately after.

She walks down her usual row, but doesn't even pause at her usual seat. She sits down right behind Betty and glares at the back of her head. Betty doesn't seem to react at all. Perhaps she's used to having people stare at her so intently.

I look at Cindy curiously, and she's not moving a muscle. She's so stiff it's like her body will shatter if you touch her. If Libby were in this class, she would know what to do or what to say, but I can only give her sympathizing glances, although I don't know why I even bother. She suddenly snaps her head towards me, but her glare sort of softens when she says, "What are you looking at, Nerdtron?"

I shake my head and look away. So much for sympathizing.

I catch Libby right before lunch, and she shows me the new colors on her braces, yellow and pink. She bought new shoes, she says, and now they match. I ask her, what's wrong with Cindy? Libby looks around like and then whispers, "Humphrey went to dog heaven."

I sigh. Humphrey had lived to be an old dog, seventeen human years, one hundred nineteen in dog years. I was surprised that he had lived that long, especially since he ate everything that came his way, including many of Sheen's beloved Ultralord dolls (_not dolls, _he would say, _figurines_!). In the last few years of his life, Humphrey spent his days lying around on Cindy's front porch, or occasionally venturing out in the yard to greet strangers and friends alike.

I knew that Humphrey was always with Cindy when she wasn't in school, with the few exceptions of us being in space and when he got too old to do normal dog things.

"Is she talking to you?" I asked Libby, who just shrugged.

"Only if I talk first. Humphrey was pretty much the greatest dog ever, in her opinion, and it's probably really hard. But she'll be fine. Hopefully by this weekend, so we can party it up." Libby did a little dance in the hallway, attracting attention from a few people walking by. "We're going to a party together this Saturday."

"Is it Betty's party?" I asked.

"How did you know?"

I had really hoped that they were going to a different party, but Retroville is a small town with big parties. Not a lot of parties, but big ones. I didn't go to many because they were pointless and idiotic, although sometimes they could be entertaining. Most of them didn't end well, and I didn't like to stick around by the time the cops showed up. But luckily for Betty (and everyone else), her father was a cop, and she didn't have to worry about the party getting busted.

"Um…well, just a wild guess. How did you get invited anyways?" The words came out a little more harsh than I meant and I winced. "Sorry, I -"

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I am not _cool_ enough to be invited to Queen Bee's fabulous weekend festivities? Well, you're wrong. I am very much invited."

I was thankful that Libby's rants were much shorter than Sheen's and Cindy's. It saved me a lot of time and a lot less apologizing. "But…what about Cindy? Betty and Cindy hate each other."

Libby just shrugged again and started walking backwards, away from me. "It's a big party. They won't even have to see each other."

I somehow doubted that logic would come through in the end.

I went to lunch, and I discover that Libby, Cindy, Sheen, and Carl already sitting at our table (but when did it become _our_ table, I wonder…) and Cindy is holding a box of tissues to her chest. I said a quick prayer before I went to sit down. I needed some strength to get through the day.

Cindy wasn't crying when I got to the lunch table, but the box of tissues weren't there for nothing. I tried not to look at her too much. She might try to maim me completely.

Libby is showing Carl and Sheen her new braces and shoes, chattering excitedly about the upcoming weekend plans. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Betty walking towards our table. I immediately start to fidget and decide to put my hands on my lap so Betty doesn't see and think I'm a total spaz. As I look up, Cindy is looking at me with a strange look on her face.

I want to say something, but soon Betty is right next to me. I can smell her perfume…what is it? Vanilla? She puts a perfectly manicured hand on my shoulder and squeezes lightly. She doesn't spare anyone else at the table a glance and smiles down at me.

"Are you all ready for tomorrow night?"

I couldn't help it, I grinned back at her. "I am, are you?"

She removes her hand from my shoulder and her nails lightly graze my bare arm on the way down. "More than ready," she says quietly, not a whisper, but almost. Then, she turns on her heel and walks away. I stare after her for a long time, until Sheen snaps his fingers in front of my face impatiently.

"_Dude_, did you see the way she looked at you? Like you're a piece of meat and she's the lion." He grinned at me and I just shook my head, still smiling. It was a strange thing for Sheen to say; he must have been paying attention in English.

Cindy pulled a tissue out of her box and handed it to me.

"What's this for?" I asked, taking it cautiously.

She smirked at me, but her eyes looked void of any emotion at all. When her face tilted a little to the right, like it always did when she was going to insult me, the lights reflected off her cheeks and I saw tearstains, showing that she had been crying.

"You're drooling."

* * *

I had only been home for a few hours when I heard the doorbell ring. I doubted if it were Sheen and Carl, because it was still raining and I know that neither of them liked dealing with messy weather (and who did, really?). I waited a few moments, wondering if Mom or Dad would get the door. But of course, neither of them did. I grunted and stood up from the couch and opened the door.

It was Cindy.

"Cindy? What are you doing here?" I couldn't keep the obvious shock out of my voice. She was wearing a thin jacket and purple rain boots, and she was shivering. Her hair was down and sticking to her face from the rain. I was surprised her teeth weren't chattering from the cold seeping into her clothes. "Do you want to come inside? Is there something wrong?"

"Stop asking me so many questions, Nerdtron. I just…I'm burying Humphrey today and…I don't want to do it alone."

A few things came to mind when she said this. One: she knew that I knew about Humphrey. Which means she knew that I asked Libby. Damn, this girl is good. Two: why is she asking _me_? And three: goddamn it all, I'm going to have to go out in the rain to bury a dog.

"Let me just get a jacket - do you want one? It's cold out and you are pretty soaked -" But she was already walking away.

I sighed and grabbed a jacket, closing the door and running after her. She led me to her backyard, where a whole was already dug and thankfully, Humphrey was in a box.

I honestly couldn't tell if Cindy was crying or not because of the rain, but I supposed it didn't matter if she were anyway. "I can't lift the box by myself," she admitted, and sniffed a little. Her arms were crossed over her chest. I looked down at myself. My jacket was insulated and I wasn't what you would call _athletic_, but I often did heavy lifting in my lab while I was building and repairing things. I slipped my jacket off and put it over her shoulders. She didn't move, so I pulled it more firmly around her, not wanting to look in her eyes.

"I'll put the box in for you."

The box wasn't very heavy, but it was long and Cindy was pretty small and probably couldn't find a way to lift it without it slipping out of her arms. I lowered it into the hole. When I turned around, Cindy already had a shovel in her hand, but I took it from her and started piling dirt over the box. But Cindy, always the independent one, took it back and filled it herself.

When it was filled, she put the shovel down and stood next to me and said, "Do you want to say anything? Any last words? I don't think I'm going to, because I already have many times, but you can if you want."

She sounded somewhat sad, not as sad as I thought she would be. She knew that Humphrey was going to die soon, but I knew that it didn't lessen the pain. I wasn't surprised that she didn't say any last words, because Cindy wasn't one to speak her feelings aloud. I felt obligated to say something, however, because she had left the offer wide open and I would feel rude not saying anything.

"Humphrey was a good dog. He had an iron stomach." Cindy exhaled harshly; a tiny laugh. "Five years ago, when we got the new mail man, Humphrey thought it was someone trying to break into your house and took the man down. I kind of felt sorry for him but Humphrey ripped the guy's uniform to shreds. The mail was perfectly fine, though." I couldn't help but laugh a little, and Cindy started to chuckle a little, too.

"I remember that. From then on, he just let Humphrey take the mail with him to the front door."

The rain was starting to let up a little, but I had barely noticed that I was soaking wet. Cindy looked at me and gave me a watery smile. I still couldn't tell if she had been crying.

"Come on, Neutron, I'll walk you home."

On my front step, she took off my jacket and handed it to me. "Thanks for…doing that. I would've called Libby but I didn't want her to ruin her new shoes."

I laughed. "It's no problem, really. Anytime."

"Anytime?"

I had said it so casually, but Cindy was looking at me with such trust at that moment, I wondered what the hell was going on with the world today. This could not be normal, for either of us.

"Yeah. Anytime."

She smiled at me, and patted my cheek. I didn't dare reach up to touch her hand. I was afraid of what might happen if I did. _Betty Quinlan, Betty Quinlan, Betty Quinlan. _I tried to think of Betty, and her soft-looking hair and her perfect nails and prim skirt, a skirt that I could be getting into tomorrow night, but all I could see was Cindy, with her wet hair matted to her face and green eyes so big and her eyelashes sticking together. Cindy's shirt was also see-through.

"Don't stare too hard, Neutron," she said, a smirk on her face. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

I have once said that Betty Quinlan is everything that Cindy Vortex is not, and maybe I'm right. I've even said this to Cindy before (the results weren't pretty) and I meant it in a mean way at the time. Now, I almost considered it a good thing.

Betty was good at pretending, for one thing. If she didn't like something, you never knew it. But she held so much power in her tiny little hands, you still didn't want to put that power out of balance by pissing her off and disobeying her in any way. Most people did not fear Betty. She certainly seemed to intimidate them, but she never used her popularity to treat people badly just because she felt like it.

Cindy was good at hiding, but she had never been good at pretending. I usually knew when she was angry, happy, or sad. You could just tell by the way she walked, or how she looked at you. Everyone feared Cindy because she didn't care what anyone thought, and she had no problem with telling people her own opinions even if they hated her for it. She treated people like crap because she usually had a problem with them first. She had more power than popularity.

And then there were the obvious physical and personality differences. Betty was tall, with short dark hair and eyes. She wore dresses and didn't partake in sports. Cindy had long blonde hair and green eyes and was very athletic. Betty was easily impressed, but with Cindy, you had to earn every single fucking compliment and smile. When Betty graced you with her presence, you felt special, somehow. With Cindy, you usually felt disdain, because she was almost always angry or making snippy remarks.

But Cindy could be nice when she wanted. I'm friends with Cindy, and she's just hard to get used to. She can be surprisingly tender and protective when it comes to certain things and people, and sometimes I admire her.

Sometimes I feel lucky that I'm her friend.

(But then she says something sarcastic and laughs that deep belly laugh that makes people look at her - and I just roll my eyes.)

On Saturday night, the party is in full swing and I haven't seen Cindy at all. I figure maybe she wasn't at the party, and I'm slightly afraid that she caught a cold while standing in the rain, although I didn't have one and I had been in the rain too. Sheen and Carl hadn't been invited, but they had bugged me endlessly until I said that they should just come with Libby and Cindy. But I hadn't seen them either.

Betty is pulling me by the hand, and I take a moment to study her nails. They're fake. I can see the glue around the edges, but just barely. I try to focus on all the people that she's greeting, but I don't know a lot of them, and most of them are wasted anyways. Betty grabs two cups off of the kitchen counter and hands one to me. I sniff it discreetly and take a sip. Then I wince, "What is this?"

"Rum and coke."

_Of course_. I wracked my brain, trying to think of something witty to say. But what I think is witty and what Betty thinks is witty are two completely different things.

But luckily, she beats me to the punch, "Are you enjoying the party?"

"I am. But who are all these people? Do you know them?"

She giggles. "Of course I know all of them, silly! Some of them go to the private school just north of us. I know them from summer camp and - hey! What the _fuck_ are you doing here?"

I turn around, and there's Cindy. She's wearing a skirt. _Cindy Vortex is wearing a skirt_. It's black, and short. I have no doubt that Libby made her wear it, because she tugs on it and shifts her feet uncomfortably. She's holding a cup just like mine, and her hair is down. She looks from me to Betty, Betty to me, and just smirks.

"You invited me, remember?"

For a split second, I think that she's talking to Betty, and I wonder what kind of drugs she's been taking. And then, I come to a sickening realization…she's talking to _me_.

"What are you talking about?" I ask slowly, not wanting to anger Betty more, but not wanting to piss Cindy off, either.

She took a sip from her cup and didn't answer. She was a horrible liar, but Betty didn't know that. I wish she did, I so wished that she did.

"Why did you invite _her_?" Betty's voice is quiet, and she's smiling, but it's a dangerous, _you better explain this to me_ smile.

"Well, technically, I…" I trailed off, hoping someone would interrupt. No one did. Betty looked at me expectantly and Cindy laughed into her cup. After a few moments of agonizing silence, Cindy finally spoke up.

"Oh fine. I came here with Libby and Dumb and Dumber. Little Jimmy here didn't invite me. Why would he do such a thing?"

"I want you to leave."

"Oh, well, that sucks. Because I plan on staying and…seeing my boyfriend." And then she walks away.

I'm completely dumbfounded. Betty is pissed off and confused.

This night cannot get any stranger, I think. Nothing can get weirder than this.

But of course, it does.

Cindy's "boyfriend" is a 21-year-old jock named Bryan, who wears a letterman jacket that he had in high school, and all he talks about is his baseball career that got blown because of his injured knee. Cindy doesn't know who he is, but she pretends that she does in order to stay at the party.

I wonder why she's even _at _the party, because her dog is dead and Betty hates her guts. Not a good combination, if you asked me. But no one has yet.

Betty clings to me like she's a scared child in the dark, but this is more territorial. I'm slightly confused because we're not even officially dating, and all Cindy is doing is sitting on the pool table, listening to Bryan talk and drinking rum and cokes until her eyes start to glaze over. I've never known Cindy to get drunk before.

On my way to the bathroom, I run into Libby.

"What's with Cindy? Why is she all over that Bryan dude?" I ask, after we exchange _hello_ and _how are you liking the party_.

Libby sighs and rolls her eyes. "From what I've heard, Bryan used to date Betty like 6 months ago and she knows it will piss Betty off. It shouldn't piss her off, because she has you, but you know Cindy. She's one mischievous little bitch. She's also drunk, so there's no stopping _that _mess."

"Why does she want to piss Betty off?"

"Why wouldn't she? Betty is a bitch to Cindy, so she's being one back. I usually don't care for all this fighting and drama but I've never liked Betty."

"You…haven't?" For some reason, this bothers me. I know Cindy will always hate Betty, but I didn't think Libby had a problem with her. What next, is Carl going to tell me that he hates her guts too?

"Of course not! She's dissed my best friend for years. I don't like her one bit. And you can just tell she's up to something. So…be careful, Little Jimmy." She pokes me in the arm.

"Why does everyone call me that?" I rub my arm slightly.

Libby's eyes widen. "I don't know but I just heard my jam come on!"

She dances all the way down the stairs.

Two and a half hours later, and with over three fourths of the people gone, I am exhausted and my buzz (if I ever had one) has worn off. I'm tired of Betty clinging to me (I enjoyed it at first) and watching Cindy flirt with someone too old for her (I never enjoyed that) and trying to keep Carl and Sheen off the dance floor lest they embarrass themselves (and me).

I tell Betty that I'm going to drive home, and she pouts prettily. I tell her that I'd come the next afternoon (or this afternoon, really) to help clean her house, but she tells me she has a maid for that kind of stuff. I almost say, _well excuse me for being nice_, but I don't. It's just the sleep deprivation talking, I tell myself. I'm not getting annoyed with Betty. She can't be annoying. It's impossible.

Sheen offers to take Libby and Carl home, but Libby nudges me and tells me to take Cindy home. I don't want to leave her in arm's length of Betty and I'm not leaving the responsibility of taking her home with Bryan, so I agree.

Cindy pulls away easily from Bryan, smiles at him and tells him that she had a great time, tells Betty that the party was great and she should have another one next time, and then she pukes in her front yard. Twice.

When she's secured in the passenger seat, I roll down the windows so she has a chance to puke somewhere other than in my car. I don't really feel like cleaning up after her. She leans her head on the head rest and closes her eyes. After a few minutes of driving, I wonder if she's fallen asleep, but she turns her head to me slightly and says, "Did you like Bryan? He was nice."

"No, I didn't really talk to him."

"He was nice."

"So I've heard."

"I don't even know him." She starts to laugh, a high-pitched squeal that turns into her usual laugh, and then she cackles for a whole three minutes. I smile, because a drunken Cindy is a nice Cindy. What a surprise.

I stop in front of her house, and lead her up the front steps of her porch. She can walk, but her head keeps moving back and forth like she's listening to a really good song. We stop at her front door and she whispers, "I miss my dog."

I know her mom isn't home, because Saturday nights are her bridge nights, and so I take the spare key from under the welcome mat and open the door for her. But Cindy doesn't walk inside; instead, she wraps her arms around my waist and leans her whole weight against me.

I wrap my arms around her shoulders and listen to her breathing. I cannot believe the girl who has the capability to ruin my whole day by telling me my hair looks like shit and my experiments are worthless is hugging me and leaning against me. I put my hand on top her head and run it all the way down her back unconsciously.

She suddenly pulls back from me, her arms dropping to her sides. She just stares at me for a few seconds, her face blank but her eyes are so tired. She puts her hand on my cheek and says, "Don't tell anyone."

"Don't tell anyone what?"

"That I just did that. That I miss my dog. I have a reputation to uphold, buddy boy." She pats my cheek a few times, patting harder than she should. "Thanks for taking me home. Don't let Betty get too jealous."

She walks inside, stumbling a bit, and closes the door in my face.

* * *

**Most people don't update on a holiday weekend, but the fourth of July is my least favorite holiday. You would think that the day we celebrate our nation's independence wouldn't be so dull. I've never been one for standing around watching crappy fireworks and getting eaten up by mosquitoes. Just saying.**

**But I hope you all enjoy the long weekend and if you are kind, leave a review!**

**And thanks to those who already have. (:**


	3. Something Incredible

When people ask me how it happened, I tell them that it started with the party. And technically, I'm not lying. But while the party was important in the sequence of events that lead Betty to asking me out on an official date, but something tells me that it wasn't _that _important. Something had caught Betty's eye, something had clicked in her brain, some magical being had come to her in a dream and told her to date me.

Whatever it was, it happened before the party. It happened the night before she asked me to the party, I'm pretty sure.

I tell this to Sheen and Carl, and Sheen readily takes to the idea. He has always had a wild imagination, and any kind of conspiracy theory always makes his thoughts go on a tangent. He is the fuel to the fire that is my paranoid thoughts.

Carl, however, is not as agreeable, and says that Betty is a person who doesn't have intentions; cruel or not. She just does things. The way that he says this makes me wonder if Carl thinks that Betty is a mindless robot, and I wouldn't doubt if he does.

I even leave the subject open for discussion at lunch one day when Libby and Cindy are present, both of them listening intently as I tell them the story of how Betty came up to me on Monday after the party.

_I'm putting my books away to go to lunch, and just as I'm shutting my locker, I notice Betty standing beside me. I jump about two feet in the air and she laughs, shaking her head lightly. _

"_Hey, you," she says, a huge smile on her face. _

"_Hey yourself," I reply. _

"_The party was a total hit. I had a ton of fun and so did everyone else. Everything went perfectly…except a few minor details. But I can handle those later." I silently wonder what 'a few minor details' entail but deep down, I know it has something to do with Cindy and Betty's ex-boyfriend. "Did you have fun?" _

"_Of course. It was a great party. I'm glad it was…such a hit." _

_You can say I'm not used to Betty's slang. _

"_Good…so, I was wondering…would you like to get together again this Friday night?" She smiles at me again, but it's a different smile this time; one that speaks of mischievousness and wicked intention. "Just you and me this time?" _

_My heart begins to race. My palms start to sweat. I wonder over and over again what this means. Like a date? Betty Quinlan wants to date me? _

"_Yeah, uh…that would be great." Why do I keep saying great? "I'd love to." _

_She squeezes my arm. "Pick me up at seven." _

"Well isn't that the cutest story I've ever heard," Cindy says dryly, and I'm surprised she doesn't throw an eye roll in there too. Oh but wait - yep, there it is. She rolls them as she opens her bag of chips.

"I'm a little confused - Betty Quinlan asked _you_ on a _date_?" Libby snorts into her milk.

I quickly realize that it was a bad idea to even tell Cindy and Libby in the first place. They are both best at criticizing and poking fun at other people.

I sigh and look towards Sheen and Carl for help, but Carl is eating (and probably not even paying attention), and Sheen is staring at Libby (and also not paying attention). I suppose I don't blame them, because they've had to put up with this story every day until today, and today is Thursday, which means tomorrow is Friday and I've yet to decipher the reasoning behind Betty's date offer. I can literally hear the clock ticking.

"Can you two be serious for two minutes?" I ask, and I make my annoyance clear. They can be so childish sometimes.

Cindy smiles wanly. "I was being serious, Neutron."

"Why are you even bothering trying to find out the reason behind it all? Just go with the flow!" Libby says, spearing a green bean with her fork and gives her hand a flourish, almost stabbing Sheen in the eye. He doesn't seem to notice. Carl starts to snicker.

I should've known that Libby would say this. I also should've known that this advice would get me nowhere. My mind demands answers.

"Or better yet, why bother going out with her at all? She's an evil wench. Even you could do better." Cindy points at me smartly, and then eats a chip. She thinks she knows everything, and it infuriates me.

"She's not an _evil wench_. She's Betty Quinlan -"

"Same thing," she quips.

Sheen finally speaks up. "Betty Quinlan may be evil, but she's hot stuff. Grade A meat." Libby smacks him in the arm and he winces. "I mean, she's…a great girl, Jimmy. Great. You should totally go on a date with her."

_Great. She's a great girl. _I am starting to despise that word.

From then on, I drop the subject and no one offers more advice. I start to fidget on Thursday night, and I don't sleep much. Friday, I am tired and cranky but hopeful, and Betty shoots me little smiles from Cindy's chair and in the hallway all morning and by the afternoon I am starting to twitch. I am in Chemistry when Cindy sighs loudly and glares at me.

"What?" I ask.

"What? _What_? You are driving me insane, Neutron. Can you make it a little less obvious? You're acting like you never go on dates."

Truth is, she's right. I never go on dates. But I don't admit this, I just stare at the chalkboard silently. We're sitting at a long lab table and it's just the two of us. Betty isn't in this class. In fact, it's just Cindy and I and several seniors. We're in the advanced class.

Cindy taps her pencil and looks away. "Do you want me to help you take your mind off of it?" She whispers, and I hesitate.

"What do you mean?"

She takes a piece of paper and draws a small grid. Tic-tac-toe. I smile wistfully and draw an X in the middle.

We play several games of tic-tac-toe and hangman throughout the class and even though I didn't think it would, it _does_ take my mind off things. Cindy chooses off-the-wall words, like onomatopoeia. She wins some, and I win some. In fact, we seem to have an equal set of gains and losses. I am surprised by how much time has gone by when the bell rings, signaling school is over. My nervousness creeps back into my stomach like a slow-working acid and I start to feel queasy.

I turn to Cindy. "Thanks, that did help me."

She just shrugged. "It's nothing. You helped me with Humphrey last week, so I'm just repaying you."

I am a little disappointed by this comment, and I don't exactly know why. I guess I thought Cindy was helping me out of the goodness of her heart. But it seems she just didn't like the idea of "owing me one", not that I ever thought she did.

"Good luck with your date, Jimmy. Try not to completely screw it up."

I freeze. She had called me Jimmy, and there had been no sarcasm behind it. Of course, there had been a backhanded insult following it, but that was Cindy.

Like taking two steps forward and three steps back.

* * *

I pick Betty up at 7:01, and she opens the door wearing a very short skirt and a tank top. I tell her she looks great, and by 7:03, we are out the door and back in my car. I had been worried about maybe meeting her parents, but she doesn't even invite me in. I try to feel upset at this, but I am mostly grateful. It's just one thing that I won't have to worry about.

I take her to a fancy Italian restaurant uptown (upon her request) and I figure the date is going pretty well, and it's already halfway over. Betty orders an expensive dish and then just picks at it, and I want to ask her if she thinks I'm made of money, but of course I don't. It's common courtesy that I pay, and I will. But Betty seems to think that she needs to lose weight (which she has mentioned twice already) and is not eating much.

She's also not one for very much conversation, and our topics seem to go in a circle: Betty's party, school, Betty's summer plans in the Bahamas, and Betty's party. These are all…_great_ topics, and I crack a few jokes, those of which she laughs at. She hasn't yelled at me yet and I consider this night a good one so far.

It's just a few moments after I ask for the check that I spot Cindy across the room. I am like a deer in headlights, just staring at her while Betty rambles on about her party for the hundredth time. But Cindy is sitting with a group, and doesn't seem to notice us. Betty doesn't seem to notice her either. I pray that she doesn't.

After paying, Betty goes out to the car and I tell her I'm going to the bathroom. I hide behind a huge potted plant. A fake one, at that. Cindy is sitting with a man, a woman, and two children, a boy and a girl. Upon further inspection, I realize that this is Cindy's dad.

Cindy's parents split up about 6 years ago, and since then her father remarried. I even went to the wedding. Her new stepmother had two children from a previous marriage. Her mom never remarried. It's just been Cindy, her mom, and her mom's endless string of boyfriends for a long time now.

I notice that Cindy looks absolutely miserable. Everyone else at the table is eating, laughing, and talking; but she is quiet and reserved. I look closer, and I see that her plate is empty. Although she looks miserable, she had at least eaten all her food. I have the outrageous urge to laugh.

It occurs to me once again that Cindy and Betty are complete opposites.

At that moment, I remind myself of who I'm with and I start to leave, but at the same moment, Cindy gets up from the table and starts to walk towards me. My mind goes into total panic mode. I do the only thing I am able to do in this situation: stand there like an idiot.

Of course, she bumps into me. Of course, she realizes that I'm standing behind the huge fake potted plant and of course she knows I'm spying on her.

"Oh, Neutron, what are you doing here? Where's Quinzilla?"

I ignore the new nickname. "She's outside. I was just, ah…going to the bathroom."

She doesn't believe me for a second. "Sure, sure. It's odd that we both come to the same restaurant on a Friday night. What a small, small world it is. Tell me, Little Jimmy, how is your date going?"

"Great." I want to smack myself. This is probably the thousandth time I've said the word 'great' in the past week. "But Betty is outside and -"

"You have to go. Yeah, okay. Bye Neutron."

Cindy walks right past me and into the bathroom. And then I have no choice but to leave, too.

* * *

The next Monday, Betty asks me to sit with her at lunch. She sits with a few girls that I don't know, Nick, and a few other jocks. I say yes immediately, but regret it soon afterwards. I go to lunch earlier than usual, but Cindy, Libby, Sheen, and Carl are already sitting down with their lunches. Betty is nowhere in sight.

I sit down warily, looking around the cafeteria.

"So I say to him, 'what do you want me to do? Turn my music off forever and live my life in misery?' and he said _yes_. How could he even say that?" It seemed that Libby was telling a story, and by the way she was bobbing her head, it was a pretty interesting one.

"Apparently your dad is as sarcastic as you are." Sheen said, and Libby smacked him in the arm. Carl was poking at the mystery meat and Cindy was watching him cautiously.

I saw Betty walk into the cafeteria just as Cindy said, "You better stop poking that or we'll all explode," and I cleared my throat loudly.

They all looked at me.

"Um…I'm…ah, sitting with Betty today."

Carl dropped his fork onto his tray with a clang. Sheen immediately grins, and slaps my shoulder with congratulations. "That's awesome, bro!"

Libby rolls her eyes. "I thought you didn't like the jocks?"

"What makes you think that?"

Cindy smirked. "Because you say it all the time."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Betty standing near her table, spinning a lock of hair around her finger, looking around the room distractedly. She was looking for _me_. My heartbeat quickened and my breathing turned shallow. You could say that I didn't do well with pressing social situations.

Without another word, I get up, and wave to my friends. I can feel their eyes boring holes in my back as I approach Betty's table. In fact, I feel like everyone is staring at me. But I keep my eyes trained on Betty, and as she finally spots me, she smiles so big that I can't help but smile back. I ignore all the people staring at me, staring at us, and sit down next to her.

And that is the start of something incredible.

* * *

**You are probably all asking: where is the Jimmy and Cindy portion of the story? It's coming, I promise. I'm going to try to update faster! Thanks to all those who have reviewed. (:**


	4. Bloodshed

After the day I sat with Betty for the first time, something changed completely. She asked me to sit with her the next day, and the next day, and the day after that, until it was just mutually (and silently) decided that I would be sitting with her…until further notice.

Betty never gave up Cindy's seat in English; it went from being Cindy's seat to Betty's seat. But some days I walk into English only to find Betty sitting in the seat next to mine, and I am surprised because I expect Cindy to be there.

Friday nights are reserved for Betty. We go out to dinner, go see a movie, go to a party, or I take her back to my house where we sit on my back porch and drink lemonade. If my parents are already sleep, we make out.

I can't believe that I can casually say that I _make-out_ with Betty Quinlan. It's hard to take in sometimes. It all happened so suddenly. One day, Betty is at my locker, asking me to be her date at the party and then we're making out on my porch swing. Crazy how things like that work, I suppose.

And it's only been five weeks since Betty's party. I don't really know if Betty and I are officially dating, and when my parents ask me, I just shrug and nod. I don't want to say yes and get their hopes up, but I don't want to say no and have my parents think Betty is some sort of whore.

I don't spend as much time as I used to with Sheen and Carl. Sheen and Libby spend a lot of time together (I guess they are on the verge of dating) and Carl recently got a job at the local petting zoo. On one particular Friday, I asked Betty if she wanted to go to the petting zoo with me, but she just wrinkled her nose and patted my knee and said, "Maybe some other time."

As for Cindy and Libby, I barely see them at all. I see Libby at school and when she goes to Cindy's house. Being Cindy's neighbor, I catch a few glimpses of them here and there; but there is always Advanced Chemistry, and Advanced Chemistry is where Cindy gets her daily torturing in.

When I walk into Chemistry that day, Cindy is smiling. Not really smiling at anyone in particular, just smiling. It creeps me out a little. I never see Cindy smile unless it's at someone else's expense. I wonder if I just missed someone falling and humiliating themselves.

I sat down and stayed quiet through the first half of the class, but I couldn't stop glancing at Cindy. Something was off - not necessarily in a bad way, but in a I-know-something-you-don't-know way. Bad for me, good for her.

After a few more minutes, I gave up the fight and whispered, "What's going on?"

She didn't even look at me. "Right now I'm taking notes. What's going on with you?"

I took a few seconds to collect myself, closing my eyes. She could be such a pain in my ass. "No, I mean, why do you look so -"

"Look so what?" She looked at me sharply and I resisted the urge to jump out of my chair and bolt from the room.

"Well, nothing, but you are just -"

"It's nothing, Neutron, like you said. You can stop talking to me now. Heaven forbid if your girlfriend finds out."

My girlfriend? "What are you talking about? What does it matter?"

Cindy nodded her head towards the table in the corner of the room, where an Asian girl with long dark hair sat. She was glaring at us. Or just glaring at Cindy. I recognized her as one of Betty's friends, and she sat with us at lunch. I had never heard her talk before. I suppose she was the quiet but conniving type.

"Not that I don't love pissing Quinzilla off, but having her cronies egg and toilet paper my house is less than enjoyable. I hate to admit it, but she's simply not worth the trouble anymore." She gave me a meaningful look that I couldn't exactly decipher. It was like she was pleading with me…but why?

I was a little disturbed by the nameless girl across the room staring at us, but it didn't mean anything. There were a lot of people who didn't like Cindy and it didn't mean it had something to do with Betty. I was also angry that Cindy would even suggesting that Betty would get angry at _me_ for talking to her. I knew they hated each other, but Betty was more mature than that.

"Toilet paper your house? I've never seen anyone do that. And why would think that Betty was behind it?"

"You never see it because you're never home when it happens. Betty may be a lot of things, but she's not entirely stupid. She sends out her sidekicks to do the deed when you two go on your dates or whatever."

This sounded logical. But I didn't believe it.

"Betty isn't that mean."

And she just looked at me, disdain written all over her face. "Then you obviously don't know her as well as you think you do."

* * *

The next night, Friday night, Betty and I are at the mall when I decide to bring up the subject of Cindy. I had already planned out what I should say, but I wasn't completely sure how it would go over. I was nervous about how she would react.

We were in Macy's and Betty was flipping through a rack of sweaters. The plastic hangers clanged together rhythmically, the scraping of metal against metal grinding against my nerves.

"So, uh…yesterday Cindy mentioned something about someone toilet-papering her house. Did you hear anything?"

I didn't get the reaction I wanted. She paused in her movements and her back stiffened. She whipped around to stare at me.

"What are you saying? That I did it?"

"No! Of course not! I was just -"

Suddenly, her face softened into a small smile. She looked up at me from behind dark bangs. "Jimmy, I would never do that. That girl and I don't get along very well, but I wouldn't stoop so low to vandalize her house." I was a little put off by her calling Cindy "that girl", but didn't say anything. I didn't want to set her off again. "But I must tell you that I am a little upset that you are talking to her. She makes me uncomfortable."

I wondered how and why Cindy made Betty uncomfortable, unless it was uncomfortable with rage and hate. I didn't ask. I was too afraid to know the answer. I might have been shocked into speechlessness at this point in time.

"Jimmy, will you promise me that you won't talk to her again?" She took my hand and smiled. I hesitated. "Please? For your girlfriend?"

That was it. She had said it aloud. It was there, out in the open, free to the public. Betty Quinlan was my girlfriend. We were official.

I still didn't want to do it, but I did anyways. I was intoxicated by the thought of even having a girlfriend. "I promise."

* * *

Not even a week later, Betty got sick. Suddenly, I had no one to talk to in the hall, no one to walk to class with, and no one to sit next to at lunch. I had grown distant to the rest of my friends. I kept away from Cindy as much as I could, and I knew that she knew something was up.

In English, class was about to start when Cindy walked in. I could tell by the way she was walking that she was not just Cindy, but she was Cindy: Girl On A Mission.

She gave me a long, hard look, and sat down in her old seat. A few people turned and looked at her. Cindy just glared at them and they quickly looked away.

Part of my brain wanted me to tell Cindy that it wasn't her seat anymore and that she should move, but another part knew that if I did, I would probably end up regretting it.

And suddenly, class was starting and I was still debating on whether or not I should say something. I was a little grateful that I didn't have to decide at all. Cindy could be downright scary.

The next day, I quickly figured out that Betty could be just as scary as Cindy. Before I had even made it up to my locker that morning, Betty was standing in front of me, preventing me from walking forward. She looked very pissed off.

"Jimmy, I heard something very strange last night. I heard that _someone_ took my seat in English yesterday and you did nothing about it," she pouted.

When I realized she was talking about Cindy taking her seat yesterday morning, I was kind of shocked. I hadn't even remembered that Cindy had done that, and she was mad about it? I had always wondered why girls were so dramatic…but this took the cake. I was completely stumped.

"Um…sorry? You told me not to talk to Cindy."

Oops, I had said that kind of loud. People were starting to stare…not that they weren't pretending _not_ to stare just minutes before. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Libby, Sheen, and Carl standing near Sheen's locker, talking amongst themselves quietly. I didn't see Cindy anywhere.

"I know I told you that, silly," Betty smiled, but I was wary. "But when it comes to standing up for me, you should know that it's okay." She patted my cheek affectionately, her nails grazing my ear and her hands cold, and I knew that all was forgiven.

"Oh, but Betty…" I cringed at the familiar voice and took a step back, nearly bumping into Cindy. I turned my head and there she was, in all her five-foot-three glory, with Libby standing behind her. "A seat is just a seat. No need to get in a fit over it."

I heard a few people laugh at that. Libby snorted. Then Cindy patted my cheek, much like Betty had just done, but her hands were warm. She smiled at me and I just stared at her. It took me a long time to realize that her hand was still on my cheek.

And the next thing I knew, Betty was pulling me down the hallway, away from everyone else.

* * *

I had gotten an earful from Betty soon after that. For the rest of the day, I was pretty down in the dumps. Betty hated Cindy with renewed vigor, but it didn't seem to bother Cindy one bit. In fact, Cindy looked pretty damn happy about the whole thing, which just pissed Betty off even more. The more pissed off Betty was, the snappier she was with _me_, and I didn't like that.

Just before Chemistry, the door to the girl's bathroom opened and a hand shot out, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me in.

My first guess was Betty, but it was a little unlike Betty to pull me into the girl's bathroom. It was Cindy, and she was glaring at me, her warm hand wrapped around my arm.

"Cindy? What's going on?"

"Oh, not much, Jimmy. I just have a few questions to ask you."

"Why are we in here? Someone is going to walk in and then I'm going to get in trouble." I looked around, glancing underneath the stalls to make sure there was no one else in here.

Cindy sighed and locked the door. "This will only take a minute. Did Betty seriously tell you not to talk to me?"

It was my turn to sigh. "Yes, she did."

"And you listened to her? I'm sorry, but that's beyond ridiculous."

"Well, can you blame her? You're not exactly nice to her _or_ me, not that it matters -"

"I'm nice to you!" I gave her a look, and she shrugged, still not letting go of my arm. "I try to be nice to you. I've never been able to stand Betty, and you know that. She's not exactly _nice_ to me either, if you haven't noticed."

"That's true. I don't see why the two of you can't just compromise to stay out of each other's way."

Cindy just stared at me at this, and I rolled my eyes. "I'm not sure you know anything about girls at all, Jimmy." She smiled for a brief moment, squeezing my arm. My heart jumped. "Would you like some advice?" Her voice was quiet.

"What kind of advice?"

"Well…we're friends, right?"

"Right. Of course." My brain was not concentrating on anything at that moment but her hand on my arm and how close we were standing.

"Don't listen to Betty."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Neutron. If you know anything, and I know you do because you're a genius, don't listen to her. You'll regret it."

I'm shaking my head, and her other hand reaches up to my face, a few fingertips resting on my cheek. I stop moving instantly. She trails her fingers down my face and smiles.

"I'm not telling you what to do, Jimmy. Just remember that."

She lets go of me, and leaves before I can catch my breath.

* * *

**If this chapter seems a little off, it's because I am a little off myself. I got my wisdom teeth out just yesterday and I am still all drugged up. I apologize immensely. I think I did okay, though. I start school soon and I wanted to release another chapter. Please review! All the reviews so far have left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. (:**


	5. Saran Wrap, Bleach, and Skirts

Four months to the day after I started dating Betty, Sheen and Carl showed up at my house unannounced on a Tuesday afternoon. Betty was in Houston with her parents, shopping. Something she did very often.

I pretended to not be surprised. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

They both ignored my question and walked right past me and sat on the couch. I slowly closed the front door and repeated my question.

Sheen grabbed the remote. "Oh, not much. Just visiting our long lost friend. Aren't we Carl?"

Carl nodded. "You got anything to eat?"

-0-0-0-0-

Two hours later, after eating a whole bag of chips and playing numerous video games, Sheen put down his controller and looked at me. "Now, down to business."

I stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

Carl crossed his arms. "Do you know where we were before we came here?"

I shrugged.

Sheen pointed at me. "We were at Cindy's, helping her clean up the mess your girlfriend made."

"Mess? What do you mean?"

"Queen B saran-wrapped Cindy's car!" Sheen stood and started moving his arms around as he got more excited. "She egged her windows! She dyed her pool green!"

"How is it possible to dye her pool green? And how do you know it was Betty? She's not even in town."

Carl looked at me. "It happened last night. And we're not saying that Betty herself did it…but she was most likely the one who was behind all of it."

"But you don't know that either."

Sheen sat down and sighed. "Jimmy, you are in a state of denial. We understand." I rolled my eyes and shifted in my chair. "But we are here to help! We are here to make you see that Betty Quinlan is the devil!"

I shot him a look. "You used to say that Cindy was the devil."

"What Sheen is trying to say is that Betty isn't the person you think she is. And we don't think anything good could come out of you two dating any longer."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

"Really?" Carl said. "Because we've tried to tell you this before."

"You think I should break up with Betty?"

They were both silent.

"That seems like a good idea to me," Sheen said.

* * *

I had heard Sheen and Carl loud and clear, and spent a lot of time thinking about what they said, but I was hesitant to make any rash decisions. I didn't want to bring it up with Betty. Things were going pretty good to us and I never actually saw her do anything mean to Cindy.

Two weeks after my talk with Sheen and Carl, I finally decided to talk to Betty, but by now I had learned to choose my words wisely so she wouldn't get mad.

We were in my room. Betty was filing her nails, I was doing homework. It was the norm for us.

"Hey, have you talked to Sheen or Carl recently?" I asked.

She didn't look up at me, but raised a brow. "Of course not. Why?"

"Oh…no reason. They stopped by the other day. They asked about you."

She rolled her eyes. "How kind of them. Why are you telling me this?"

I sighed. "They told me that…they didn't think…they don't want us together."

Silence. Betty immediately stopped filing and looked up at me, nail file clenched in her fist. "How dare they! I cannot believe they had the nerve to come in here and tell you what to do!"

I put my book down slowly. "They weren't telling me what to do, per se…they were just giving me helpful advice."

"Helpful advice?" Her voice raised an octave and she stood up from her seat. "Jimmy, how can you say that? You think they were being helpful by telling you to dump your girlfriend? That must mean you agree!"

"No! I don't agree!" I stood up in order to gain control of the situation, but she just crossed her arms and glared at me. It was a dangerously similar gesture that reminded me of Cindy. I didn't like it. And I didn't like it because it was Betty and it was strange. When Cindy did it, it didn't even bother me. It was an odd realization. "Listen. They just think you and I aren't a good match." So…I was stretching the truth a little. "I just wanted you to hear it from me."

Her glare softened and she looked down at the floor. "So you don't think that you and I should break up?"

"No. Of course not."

She smiled softly. "Good."

And while I stared at her, unnerved, she sat back down, crossed her legs, and continued filing her nails.

-0-0-0-0-

The next day, I was walking to gym class when a hand shot out from the janitor's closet and pulled me in. It was dark and the space was cramped. It smelled a little like bleach and windex. The hand was still enveloped in mine. I could recognize that hand anywhere.

"Wow. The girls bathroom and now a closet. What will you think of next?"

"Shut up, Jimmy. I'm not in the mood."

Cindy flipped on the light and let go of my hand, but stood in front of the door as if I planned on running. I seriously considered trying to make a break for it, but I figured she would just tackle me. I know she's capable of it.

"Not in the mood? You're never in the mood."

"You wouldn't really know, would you?" A mischievous little smile came upon her face.

"You're a pervert," I deadpanned.

"Yes. But that's not why we're in here. We're in here to discuss important matters, mainly Bitchzilla."

"Oh, that's a new one. Did you think of that one yourself?"

She shrugged. "I wish. Carl thought of that one."

"Carl? You talk to Carl now?"

"Of course I talk to Carl, you idiot. I sit with him every day during lunch. But that's also something you wouldn't know, because you sit with the snobs. So shut it."

"You really aren't in the mood, are you?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

I sighed as the bell rang. "I'm late for class."

"So am I. Get over it. Betty is ruining me."

"Ruining you? How is that even possible? You're Cindy Vortex." I said without thinking.

She seemed surprised at my statement. "Wow, I didn't know you thought so highly of me, Neutron. But yes, it's possible. It's demeaning to have to clean up my yard of toilet paper every week. I don't know how she does it without anyone seeing her."

"This again?"

"Yes, this again!" She crossed her arms and glared at me, much like Betty had done the day before. I shuddered a little. This was just too weird. "Tell her to stop or I will personally stop her myself. And this isn't the only thing about her that bothers me."

"And I bet you're going to tell me."

"Why do you think I pulled you in here?"

"Well, lay it on me." I sat on a stool that had been haphazardly set in a corner.

"For one thing, you completely ignore all your friends for Betty. Sheen and Carl really don't know what to do without you and it's seriously pathetic. It's like you were their shining light or something. They showed up at my house last week and asked if I wanted to play Halo."

I furrowed my brow. "They did?"

"Yes! Halo! Do I look like the type of person to play Halo? No! I play Call of Duty!"

I had to laugh. "Sometimes we play that, too."

"Obviously not anymore, if they're asking me. Even Libby complains because she never gets to talk to you anymore."

I was silent for awhile, thinking about that. "I didn't even realize that I was doing that," I said quietly.

"That's not an excuse. Have you realized that we haven't had a real conversation in almost four months? That's a little ridiculous."

I had noticed that part. Time seemed to go by really fast when I was with Betty, but she completely wore me out. It was no wonder I had no time for anyone else. A few hours spent with Betty felt like going three days without sleep. She never seemed to run out of energy and talked endlessly. It was hard to keep up. But I never complained and really, I thought it was worth it.

Until now.

"Are you saying I should break up with her?"

Cindy shook her head. "Definitely not. I'm not telling you to dump Betty just because _you_ are too stupid to realize that she's brainwashing you. We've known her for years, Jimmy. I'm…disappointed you didn't see this coming."

I started to get a little defensive. There were too many people attacking me about my love life and it was starting to annoy me.

"See _what _coming? That she was going to ask me out? I'm allowed to make my own decisions."

"Of course you are. But this was a stupid one."

"Why do you hate her so much?" I asked.

"Because she tries to make my life a living hell!" Cindy yelled, and I was surprised that no one had found us yet. We weren't exactly being quiet, and we were super late to class.

"As far as I know, she doesn't speak to you, talk about you, hell, she doesn't even look at you! You are convinced she's a demon but I don't think she is!" I stood up, ready to walk out.

"As far as you know? You don't know everything, Neutron. You think you do, but you don't. You think that Betty is a nice, sweet, innocent person who wouldn't harm a fly? You're wrong. And two can play this game." Her voice lowered and she took one big step towards me, so that were a few centimeters apart. "If she wants to play dirty, then I will play dirty right back. You'll see how horrible she is. Deep down, you know she's evil. You're doubting yourself, aren't you?"

How did she know? I wanted to defend Betty, but Cindy was pretty convincing. My mind was all jumbled and that was something that didn't happen very often.

Cindy smiled, looking up at me with her big green eyes. "Tomorrow," she said, and opened the door to leave. She held it open with one hand and put her hand on my arm firmly. "No matter who your girlfriend is, you don't ditch your friends." She trailed her fingers down her arm as she walked away.

A second later, the janitor appeared in the doorway.

"Crazy teenagers," he muttered.

* * *

Cindy had said, "tomorrow", but I had no idea what it meant. I walked into school with a sickening feeling of dread in my stomach, coiled tight and making me feel jumpy. I couldn't eat anything and I just sat in silence as Betty chattered in my ear while we were sitting in English, right before class started.

Barely a minute before the bell, Cindy walked in. She was wearing a nice blouse with a skirt and flats, her hair loose and wavy. Her expression was neutral, almost serene. Everyone stared as she walked down the aisle, including Betty. She slowed down as she passed Betty and I, and smiled at us sweetly.

Honestly, I didn't know Cindy had such an expression.

The bell rang right as she sat down.

And I had no clue what the fuck was going on.

-0-0-0-0-

After class, I pulled Libby aside and asked her what Cindy was up to, but she just shrugged. "It's a well-kept secret."

"Since when does Cindy keep secrets from anyone?"

Libby's expression suddenly turned serious. "She has a lot of secrets."

And before I could answer, she walked away.

What was with the world today?

-0-0-0-0-

And that's how it was all day. Cindy was walking around like she owned the school, but in a dignified manner. Betty stayed quiet, and I could tell she was seething under the surface. I literally had no clue what to do. Why didn't girls come with manuals?

Even at lunch, everyone at Betty's table seemed quieter and uncomfortable. I assumed that Cindy was sitting in her usual spot with Libby, Sheen, and Carl, but I was wrong. In fact, she was standing right behind me.

I jumped a little and turned to face her.

"Hello, Jimmy," she said softly. I couldn't believe my ears. She smiled at me brightly. "How are you?"

I glanced warily at Betty, who was just staring.

"I'm great. Uh…how are you?"

"Good, thanks. Look…I'm having a party this weekend at my house. You want to come?" Another smile.

And suddenly, it dawned on me.

_If she wants to play dirty, then I'll play dirty right back._

This was Cindy's revenge. This was Cindy, acting like Betty, and ultimately pissing Betty off. I had to admit…the girl had guts. And she was clever.

"How about I get back to you on that?"

She smoothed down her skirt (wrinkle-free) and pushed her hair over her shoulder. "I'll be looking forward to it." She winked at me and turned on her heel, but not before shooting a murderous look at Betty.

When I turned back to look at my girlfriend, I noticed her hands were clenching the table and she wasn't blinking. She was beyond pissed. I had to admit…I was a little scared.

It was officially on.

* * *

**Eh. It's taken me a long time to write this and I spend most of my time writing when I'm supposed to be asleep. I'm just so busy with school, volleyball, homework, and trying to maintain a social life that I have no time to write! **

**But I hope you all enjoyed this installment. This story is getting longer and longer every time I update. I can't help it. **

**Reviews make me very happy!**


	6. When Two Worlds Collide

I could hear the bass coming from Cindy's house a mile away. I couldn't she was getting away with this, considering we lived in a relatively quiet neighborhood and it was late on a Saturday night. I just shook my head as I climbed the steps of Cindy's porch and stared at the sign on her door that said "come on in!" in sloppy, familiar handwriting. I opened the door, and instantly the noise elevated to an almost deafening level.

As soon as I stepped through the doorway, Sheen was at my side.

"Dude, dude, dude. This might be the BEST PARTY EVER!" He was drinking out of a mysterious plastic cup and he raised his arms over his head as he literally screamed the last part of his sentence. A few people nearby yell their agreement.

"Good to know. Where's Cindy? And, uh, Carl?"

"Shut up, man, you don't care where Carl is. Cindy's in the kitchen." He patted me on the back and sauntered away. I curse at myself for being so obvious.

I make my way into the kitchen, pouring myself some "punch" on the way. As I push through the throng of people, I notice that Cindy is indeed in the kitchen - sitting on her counter top, drunk off her ass, and talking to Bryan. I notice that I'm holding my cup a little tighter than usual. Wouldn't want to drop it with so many people around, I think to myself. Denial at its' finest.

I start to get a sinking feel in my stomach. I know that there are many factors in involved in this particular feelings:

One, Cindy has her hand on Bryan's shoulder. She's smiling, and her eyes are shining and she looks beautiful.

Two, this party isn't as big as Betty's, and I know all these people, aside from Bryan's sleazy friends. Somehow, that makes me feel even more uncomfortable.

Three, I was a filthy liar. I had lied to Betty about going to the party. At school, when Cindy had asked, I said yes, but when I turned and saw how furious Betty was, I consoled her with a little white lie. I told her that I wouldn't go. Therefore, she would have no reason to go…right?

I took a gulp and a deep breath for courage, and walked up to Cindy.

"Jimmy!" She squeals as she sees me, and nearly falls off the counter. As soon as I'm close enough, she tugs my arm and pulls me into a hug, and with her sitting there, we are the same height. We haven't been the same height since middle school when I got my first growth spurt and my voice started to change. She wraps her arms around my neck and I can smell her perfume. It ends too quickly.

Unfortunately, Bryan is still standing there.

Cindy just laughs. "Bryan, boy genius. Jimmy, football star. When two worlds collide…" she takes a sip and squeals again when Libby stumbles into the room, Sheen on her heels. Libby doesn't return the sentiment; instead she looks horrified.

She walks right up to Cindy, and urges her to get off the counter top. They drift over to the pantry and Libby starts whispering hurriedly.

"So…how do you know Cindy?" Bryan asks.

"Uh, well…we're in a lot of the same classes. And she's my neighbor. She's my friend." I start rambling.

Bryan just nods, stone-faced. I can already tell this guy doesn't like me. "You're a genius?"

"Legally, yes. My IQ is just in the range where I can safely be considered -"

And suddenly, someone is tapping on my shoulder, and I am faced with an angry Betty Quinlan.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"How dare you! You lied to me!"

At this point, I don't know what to say. This may be a moment for the record books. But apparently, Cindy has a lot to say.

"Excuse me…," Cindy floats past me, hands on her hips. "But you weren't invited."

Betty scoffs. "Like I care? My boyfriend is at _your_ party, so obviously I'm allowed to be here too."

"Maybe he doesn't want you here." Cindy crosses her arms in her famous I'm-pissed-off stance.

Betty just laughs and looks to me, smiling. "And why would you think that?" She asks sweetly. Cindy glances at me and returns Betty's smile.

"Well you said yourself that he lied to you."

The smile drops off of Betty's face so fast, that I almost forgot it had been there in the first place. My palms were sweating. I couldn't believe this was happening. The party had quieted down and a crowd had gathered rapidly.

Sheen nudges me. "Dude, they're fighting over _you_."

"Jimmy, why did you lie? You said you would be with Sheen and Carl." Betty pouts.

(_"I give her points for remembering our names," _Sheen says in my ear.)

"Ah…" I can feel everyone looking at me. "I didn't, actually. Sheen's car broke down. We came over here to get jumper cables. I'm sorry."

At this moment, I know that I had said something very wrong. I know this by the way Sheen suddenly quiets and stops whispering little side-comments to me. Libby is shaking her head in the corner of my eye, and Cindy whips her head to me and I'm afraid that she'll take all the anger that she harbors in her little body and kill me.

Instead, she turns back to Betty and her eyes narrow dangerously. "You're a bitch, you know that? I've tolerated you talking shit behind my back for years and it's gotten me nowhere. I stood by while you stole one of my best friends away and turned him against all of his friends and transformed him into one of your clones, but I've had it! I'm done with you stealing my seat in English class. You need to get out of my house before I punch you in the face."

Betty doesn't say a word. No one does. She turns on her heel, her face bright red, and walks right out of the room, pushing people out of her way. The only thing we hear is her heels clicking on the tile.

Sheen starts to laugh hysterically once she's gone, and to my very big surprise, he wraps an arm around Cindy's shoulders and smiles down at her. "You are my new hero."

The noise comes back in an instant, and Cindy stalks off and is out the back door before I can even say a word.

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It doesn't take me long to know who to follow first. I ignore the odd looks that I'm getting from pretty much everyone and take off towards the back door.

Cindy is lying in the middle of her yard, staring up at the sky. I plop down next to her and start to talk before things get really awkward, "That was quite a speech you gave in there."

"I wish I could say the same for you," she says dully. I knew this would be coming.

"Cindy, listen -"

"How about you listen?" She sits up abruptly. She has grass stuck in her hair, but I don't tell her. She looks a little wild with her dress bunched up and her eyes bright and she actually looks sober. "You lied. And yeah, I lie and so does the rest of the world so I don't really care, but I can't believe you would say that. I can't believe you would cover something up like that. Is that what your entire relationship with Betty has been based on?"

I just look at her. "I don't really know."

She shakes her head, smiling sadly. "Of course it has. But what I really doesn't understand, is how you didn't stand up for me. Or for Sheen, or Carl, or anyone else. You, Jimmy Neutron, out of all people, just stood there like an idiot. You're not like everyone else. You helped me bury my dog and you always know what to do when someone is sad and you are one of my best friends but tonight, you aren't. And you haven't been for quite some time."

I realize that she's about ready to cry. The fact that I made Cindy cry, whether she's halfway drunk or not, makes my chest tight and I have to swallow a couple times before I can speak.

"I'm so sorry."

She just shrugs. "I know you are. It doesn't change anything, though."

I can feel my phone, which is in my jacket pocket, buzzing out of control. I know it's Betty. I know that she's calling me to yell at me and apologize at the same time. I don't want to answer. But I know I need to talk to her.

"You know why it doesn't matter? Because I know you'll go back to her, and then she'll win."

"So this is just a game to you? Let's see who can get Jimmy to fall in love with first…"

She looks at me strangely. "This isn't a game. At first, with the whole revenge thing, it kind of was. But trust me, I don't play with people's feelings like that. Except Bryan, because he's a real idiot." She winks at me and I try to smile, but I can't. I know she's trying to hide how hurt she is; but she's failing and it hurts me too.

My phones starts to ring again.

She sighs, as if she knows. "You can go through the side gate if you want, so you don't have to see all those people. I'm sure they're talking about you. And me. Mostly me, but whatever."

This isn't supposed to be happening like this. I don't want to leave, but I know I can't stay, not like this. Before Cindy can completely close herself off to me, I put my hand to her face, much like the many times she had done before. I thread my fingers through her at the base of her neck and she looks at me, panic and excitement in her eyes, and I kiss her.

She kisses me back immediately, leaning into me. I can't help but breathe her in; she smells like fresh cut grass and the red bull and vodka she must have been drinking earlier and her lavender shampoo. The next thing I know, I have her pressed into the ground; her hands splayed across my back.

I must admit, I have never felt this way with Betty. I was more turned on with the fact that I had a girlfriend and hell yeah, I was making out with a girl. But this was Cindy and shit, I was in love with her.

My phone starts to buzz again and Cindy jumps, because it's pressed against her side. She pushes me away and I lay next to her, ignoring my phone completely. I can do nothing but lie there; because honestly I was just at a loss at what to do. Cindy reaches into my pocket, takes out my phone, opens it, and puts it against my ear.

And then she leaves.

"Jimmy? Jimmy are you there?"

I sit up in a daze. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Where are you?"

"At my house." Another lie spills from my mouth easily. "On my way there. Where are you?"

"I'm at home. We need to talk. I'm coming over tomorrow first thing and we can go somewhere. But this cannot go on like this much longer." She hangs up.

I stand up and start walking to my house, going through the gate like Cindy suggested. When I reach the front yard, I am a little shocked at what I see.

Hanging from the trees, there is toilet paper, swaying slightly in the breeze. I feel something crunch underneath my feet. Eggshells.

It looks like I wasn't the only liar in this relationship.

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**Look who's back. ;)**

**I'm so sorry. Look at my profile for more details. I hope this chapter made sense and you all enjoy it. As always, review!**

**P.S. I apologize for any and all mistakes. I don't proofread well and I don't have a beta. Thank you.**


	7. The Boy Genius Falls

I didn't sleep for more than five minutes that night. I was dreading my talk with Betty and I couldn't stop thinking about my kiss with Cindy. I still had the image of her pressed into the grass, her eyes closed and lips parted. I couldn't believe that Betty had lied to me so long ago when Cindy's house had repeatedly been egged and toilet-papered. When I had left just hours ago, Cindy hadn't found out about the mess in her front yard, and I had made sure to be gone before she did. A little cowardly of me, but I knew I couldn't deal with anymore drama tonight. I resolved to talk to Cindy sometime tomorrow (or would it be today?).

It felt like I had just closed my eyes when my phone started buzzing again. I sighed and pried my eyes open, "Hello?"

"Jimmy. I'm on your porch."

Goddamn. I craned my head to look at the clock. Eight in the fucking morning. "Okay, hold on." And then I hung up. You could say that I wasn't in the best of moods.

I bounded down the stairs and opened my door, moving aside so Betty could walk past me. I looked behind her shoulder towards Cindy's house. Her front yard looked good as new again, as if it had never happened…

Which had probably been Betty's plan all along.

"Where do you want to go?"

I could tell by Betty's stance that she was pissed. She hadn't looked at me for more than a second this entire time and she was focusing on her nails. I took a deep breath and swung the door shut, letting it slam harshly. "Why leave? My parents are shopping, they won't be back for awhile. Make yourself at home."

She glared at me and sat down on the couch, her back straight as an arrow. "We really need to talk about last night and why you were at the party."

"I think we also need to talk about why you egged Cindy's house last night." I sat down on the other edge of the couch.

Her head snapped up to me and her eyes are wide and shocked, almost scared. But it passes quickly and her gaze cools. "What do you mean?"

"When I was leaving her house, her yard was trashed. You can't tell me what wasn't you. You lied to me."

"You lied to me too!" She shrieks, pointing a finger at me.

"Betty, you lied first. And it doesn't even matter. I lied about going to one of my friend'_s_ parties and you lied about trashing that same friend's house."

She crossed her arms indignantly. "You promised not to talk to her anymore."

"And I never really understood that. She was my friend before we dated."

"She's a horrible person! I don't know why you would associate with her anyway." My house feels like it's shrinking and yet her voice is echoing throughout it; almost like the whole neighborhood can hear our conversation. I wince a little.

"Funny. She says the same about you."

"This is Cindy Vortex we're talking about here. She's not even that nice to you. Why are you defending her over your girlfriend?"

I can't take it anymore. I stand and run my hand through my hair, trying to resist the urge to pace. "You need to listen to me. You can't control what I do or who I talk to. Cindy's my friend, and she's more important than anyone else." At this point, I know that I have no control over what I'm saying and that everything that's coming out of my mouth is what has been boiling inside of me for the past 12 hours. Or perhaps for the past few months. "I don't know why I liked you so much. You've kept me from all my friends the entire time we've been dating and I can't stand it. Do you get off on trying to control other peoples lives? And to trash her house repeatedly - and then to _lie_ to me about it - is just seriously the last straw. This just isn't work- "

Betty, who has been sitting quietly during my whole speech, stood abruptly and put her hands on her hips. "You cannot break up with me. You're delusional with this whole thing. Who have you been talking to?"

"Uh…myself?"

She doesn't seem to know what to say to that.

"But…Jimmy…I thought we had something good here. Prom is nearly a month away! We can't end this so soon. I'm willing to forgive you for this, I really am."

"Forgive me for what?" I am incredulous. This girl is insane. How could I have not seen it before? "Oh, I am _so_ sorry for lying to you and hanging out with my friends. Heaven forbid if I have my own life."

"I don't like your sarcastic attitude." She narrows her eyes at me.

"Well I don't like you. Not anymore."

She gasps, as if she's been slapped. I honestly hadn't meant to be so mean about it - but she's just not getting it. She's worse than Sheen on a Monday morning.

"How dare you!"

I roll my eyes. That line is a little overused now.

"No one just breaks up with me. It's not that easy."

Suddenly, I don't like the vengeful, evil look in her eyes. I swallow. "What do you mean?"

"You'll regret this."

And just like that, she leaves. The room is cold, and I can't help but wonder if Betty Quinlan is actually the devil.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A couple hours and three cups of coffee later, I call Sheen with shaking hands. I know that by his hoarse voice that he's hung over.

"Dude, why are you calling? It's early. My head hurts. What?" He's almost incoherent.

"Sheen! Wake up! I broke up with Betty!"

"Woah, woah, woah. You did not."

"I did. I think she might kill me now."

"Wouldn't surprise me. But, uh…why did you break up with her?"

I almost can't answer because I'm too shocked. "Why are you even asking me that question? I thought this is what you wanted."

"Well no shit! She's a bitch! But why the sudden change in heart?"

"I'm not an idiot, I know she was the one who toilet-papered Cindy's house. I guess that was just the start of it all. Among other things." I didn't want to mention the kiss between Cindy and I.

"Good for you, dude. I got another question for you: why are you calling to tell me this?"

"…what do you mean?" I don't like where this conversation is heading.

"I mean, you've kinda been ignoring me and Carl for weeks now and now you two are done everything is back to normal? That's just stupid. Like how am I supposed to know you won't get back together with her and it happens again?"

"Come on, Sheen. I'm sorry. I didn't really mean to -"

"Sure you didn't. But you've been doing this to Libby and Cindy, too. You should've seen her last night after you left…I don't know what happened between you two, but she was like almost crying and it wasn't pretty."

Leave it up to Sheen to suddenly go all deep on me and make me feel like shit. But I knew I deserved it.

"I need to talk to her too."

"Well, you do that. Call me again when I'm sober."

And with that, he hung up.

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Sleep deprived and going out of my mind, I set across the street towards Cindy's house. I was high on caffeine and had a million thoughts whirring in my head. I knew Cindy would be angry with me, but what if she didn't even give me the time of day? Shut the door in my face? Punched me in the face? Ran me over with a steamroller?

I knocked on the door loudly and rapidly for almost ten whole seconds before the door was ripped open.

Cindy glared at me, using a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. "What do you want, Neutron?"

Angry. Just as I thought. "We need to talk."

Here's the thing: I've had my fair share of sleepless nights. As a genius, I often spend my nights working in my lab. Sleep just seems like a waste of time for me, but I try not to spend too many nights in a row running on three hours of sleep. I start to go a little crazy, to put it lightly. I tend to talk with my hands a lot, I start quoting Star Trek…it's not fun for anyone.

Cindy just rolled her eyes and then grimaced, I assumed that she had a hangover. Peeking into the interior of her home, her house looked immaculate - like nothing had ever happened.

"I'm not really in the mood. So…how about no?" She started to close the door, but stuck my foot in the way to stop it. She sighed loudly. "Leave me alone. I don't _want_ to talk to you."

"Well, that's too damn bad! We are going to talk. You and I. Are going to talk. A very much needed talk. Then you won't be mad anymore." I could literally feel myself rambling out of control.

"Newflash, Jimmy, I'm beyond mad! I'm pissed! So I'm going to do the easy thing for both of us: I'm going to close this door. Because if I don't I might hurt you. Goodbye."

She slammed the door with more force this time, and I was wise enough to move my foot. It was then that I realized that I wasn't wearing any shoes.

I tried knocking on the door again, and then ringing the doorbell, but nothing happened. After ten long minutes, I went home. I had dug myself a pretty deep hole and I had no idea of how to get out. But I had some pretty good ideas. I wouldn't be able to count on Sheen or Carl or Libby, because I knew without even seeing them that they were angry with me also. Nope, I was on my own for this one. But hey, they don't call me a genius for nothing.

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**Kind of a lame ending, I know! This was more of a filler, I guess you could say. I have major plans for the upcoming chapter(s). Writing sleep deprived Jimmy is so fun. Considering I'm pretty sleep deprived myself…**

**God, I had no idea almost two months had passed since I updated. I've had three separate volleyball camps that sucked all my energy and time and of course, a social life. I apologize for the wait. Be sure to check my profile; I have a new poll up, song recommendations for this story, and an important update. Thank you and remember to review!**


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